We’ve got James Bond. We’ve got Jason Bourne. And although it doesn’t open in the US until December, we may have another major spy franchise in the works with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The John Le Carré novel focuses on the character of George Smiley, portrayed in Tomas Alfredson‘s upcoming film by Gary Oldman, and originally played by Alec Guinness in the 1979 BBC series.

TTSS isn’t the extent of the character though, with eight of Le Carré‘s novels featuring the MI6 intelligence officer. Debuting in the UK last weekend (our glowing review here),The Guardian is now reporting that we may be getting a series of these spy films that pull from other novels. Check out Oldman’s quote below.

“I loved playing George,” he told me, “and there are of course films to be made of Le Carré’s other books featuring George, with Smiley’s People and The Honourable Schoolboy being the obvious ones. But I would insist on quite a few factors, such as I would really want Tomas Alfredson to direct it again.”

It is fantastic to hear our main actor is insisting the Let The Right One In director return to helm any possible features, since his vision is the number one reason I’ll be in the theater this fall. We won’t have to wait too long for news, as the site reports we can expect a “big announcement” next week about the future of this series. The financier and distributor of Tinker, Tailor in the UK, StudioCanal, is reportedly very interested to produce their very first franchise with the character of George Smiley.

With the film on the top of the UK box office, it will be interesting to see if Focus Features can repeat the magic here in the US. Selling it as an taut action thriller may see similar results as their release from last year, The American. That bait-and-switch George Clooney-starrer grabbed a strong opening out of the gate, but quickly faded due to the audience feeling tricked. This is not unlike the low Cinemascore we saw with FilmDistrict’s recent Drive. We admired the brooding pace of Tinker, Tailor and hope it can connect with those in desire of smart, adult dramas. We’ll find out how it connects here on December 9th, but hopefully sooner on whether or not we’ll be getting a franchise.

Are you looking forward to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy? Would you want to see a series?

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